Scilab Function
Last update : 22/3/2005

xls_read - read a sheet in an Excel file

### Calling Sequence

  `[Value,TextInd] = xls_read(fd,Sheetpos)`

### Parameters

- `fd` : a number, the logical unit on the Excel stream returned by `xls_open`.
- `Sheetpos` : a number: the position of the beginning of the sheet in the Excel stream. This position is one of those returned by `xls_open`.
- `Value` : a matrix of numbers, the numerical data found in the sheet. The cell without numerical data are represented by `NaN` values.
- `TextInd` : a matrix of indices with the same size as `Value`. The 0 indices indicates that no string exists in the correspondin Excel cell. a positive index `i` points to the string `SST(i)` where `SST` is given by `xls_open`.

### Description

This function reads an Excel sheet given a logical unit on an Excel stream ant the position of the beginning of the sheet within this stream. It returns the numerical data and the strings contained by the Excel cells.

The `readxls` function can be used to read all an Excel file in one function with a single function call.

Warning only BIFF8 Excel files (last Excel file version) are handled

### Examples

       //Decode ole file, extract and open Excel stream
        [fd,SST,Sheetnames,Sheetpos] = xls_open('SCI/demos/excel/Test1.xls')
        //Read first data sheet
        [Value,TextInd] = xls_read(fd,Sheetpos(1))
        //close the excel stream
        mclose(fd)

### See Also

`xls_open`, `readxls`,

### Authors

  Pierrick Mode INRIA
  Serge Steer INRIA

### Bibliography

This function is based on Excel stream description from OpenOffice (http://sc.openoffice.org/excelfileformat.pdf).

### Used Function

This unction uses the xls.c file which can be found in a Scilab source version in the directory SCIDIR/routines/sound